Upcoming Panels at MIAAC Film Festival

Happy Diwali, the Hindu, Jain, Buddhist and Sikh “festival of lights.” In light of this holiday, here’s some news sent to me by the Mahindra Indo-American Arts Council (MIAAC) about their upcoming panel discussions taking place at their 8th annual film festival.

October 20, 2008 (New York, NY) - Film industry professionals from New York and India will participate in panels for filmmakers during the 8th MIAAC Film Festival. The panels will be held at the Recording Studio at the Frederick P. Rose Hall at Jazz at Lincoln Center (Broadway at 60th Street). These panels are part of MIAAC's overall program, which also features 32 Independent and Indian Diaspora films, all NYC or US premieres, plus discussions, seminars, and a concert for peace.

Admission to panels is free, but registration is required.

IFP Industry Panel
Thursday, November 6, 10AM - 5PM
Recording Studio, FIfth Floor, Jazz at Lincoln Center
In conjunction with the Independent Feature Project, MIAAC will present three panels on film festival strategy, financing features, legal expertise, and working with talent. Panelists will include producers, feature film financing, casting directors (Avy Kaufman, Cindy Tolan), festival programmers, film publicists (Sophie Gluck), television producers and programmers. Prominent companies represented include the Crossroads Films (Paul Miller), Belladonna Films and the Hamptons Film Festival (David Nugent). Register for the IFP panels at rsvp.ifp.org.

NYWIFT Panel
Friday, November 7, 10AM - 5PM
Recording Studio, Fifth Floor, Jazz at Lincoln Center
In conjunction with New York Film and Television, MIAAC will present panels on financing and acquisitions of documentaries, the state of distribution, and opening strategies in New York. Prominent companies represented include the Sundance Channel (Ann Rose), POV at PBS (Cynthia Lopez), Roy W. Dean Grant Foundation (Carol Dean), Zeitgeist Films (Emily Russo), Fox Searchlight (Derval Whelan), IndiePix (Gauri Sathe), Film Forum (Karen Cooper), Miramax (Julie Fontaine) and the Tribeca Film Institute (Eileen Newman). Register for the NYWIFT panels at https://www.123signup.com/register?id=zftjq.

MIAAC Panels
Beyond Bollywood
Thursday, November 6, 6PM
Consulate General of India, 3 East 64th Street
Set in New Delhi, Canadian-Indian director Richie Mehta's feature debut AMAL is a tender contemporary fable on the good, the decent and the new India. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion that will address the issues faced by artists of South Asian origin in North America; the place and study of new independent films like AMAL in international cinema; their perceptions, distribution and exhibition in mainstream and community theaters; and their reception by and potential with mainstream audiences in the US. Panelists include Richard Allen, Chair, Cinema Studies, NYU; Ken Naz, President, Eros Entertainment, Inc.; Richie Mehta, Film Director and Richard Pena, Program Director, Film Society of Lincoln Center, as moderator. The screening seminar concludes with a reception allowing for informal discussions with the panelists and members of the audience. To register, email Dr. Mueller at cmueller@hunter.cuny.edu or call 212.772.564

Saturday, November 8, 10AM - 12PM
Recording Studio, Fifth Floor, Jazz at Lincoln Center
Shooting in India, a panel organized by MIAAC, will address questions and issues relating to US producers and filmmakers interested in producing in India. Two American producers who have extensive experience working in India (Lydia Dean Pilcher who has worked closely with director Mira Nair and Tracey Jackson who has worked on both American features and documentaries in India) will be joined by producer Aanand Mahendroo and director-producer Apoorva Lakhia from India who have worked in the industry in Bombay. To register, send an email to shivika@iaac.us.

About the Indo-American Arts Council
The Indo-American Arts Council is a registered not-for-profit arts organization passionately dedicated to showcasing, building awareness, and celebrating artists of Indian origin in the performing, visual and literary arts. Annual festivals of art, dance, playwrighting and film are scheduled through the year, with several special events and book launches. For further information please visit http://www.iaac.us/.

The IAAC Film Festival was born in the aftermath of 9/11 in response to Mayor Giuliani's call to New Yorkers to help rebuild a limping city. The First Annual film Festival opened its doors with Film Diaspora Godfather Ismail Merchant and closed with New York's favorite Indian filmmaker Mira Nair. Three years ago, Mahindra & Mahindra joined forces with the IAAC Film Festival by becoming the lead sponsor, changing the name of the festival to The MIAAC Film Festival. For further information please visit http://www.iaac.us/.

About the Mahindra Group:
The US $6.7 billion Mahindra Group is among the top 10 industrial houses in India. Mahindra is the market leader in multi-utility vehicles in India It made a milestone entry into the passenger car segment with the Logan. Mahindra & Mahindra is the only Indian company among the top tractor brands in the world.

The Group has a leading presence in key sectors of the Indian economy, including the financial services, trade, retail and logistics, automotive components, after-market, information technology and infrastructure development. Mahindra is now poised to make an entry in the two-wheeler segment.

Mahindra's Farm Equipment Sector has recently won the Japan Quality Medal, the only tractor company worldwide to be bestowed this honour. It also holds the distinction of being the only tractor company worldwide to win the Deming Prize. The US based Reputation Institute recently ranked Mahindra among the top 10 Indian companies in its Global 200: The World's Best Corporate Reputation list. For further information, please visit http://www.mahindra.com/.

Mahindra is also one of only four Indian companies to receive an A+ rating from the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) for its first Sustainability Report.